Pre-historic Stone Age (2.5 million years ago-3,000BCE)
Project #1: Paleolithic Cave Paitings
We will be completing three projects in for the Pre-historic Stone Age, the time period that is considered to be the beginning of mankind and consequently contains what are known to be the world's earliest pieces of artwork, cave paintings, such as the ones seen above which are located in the Lascaux Caves in southwestern France. These paintings date back about 40,000 years ago, during a time known as the Late Upper Paleolithic Era, characterized by humans' development of weaponry and tools, specifically ones needed to create this artwork. The paint used in cave paintings were made of minerals, ochres (natural pigments), burnt bone, and charcoal that had been mixed with water, blood, animal fats, and tree saps. The subjects of these paintings are focused on daily life in that time, which was hunting and gathering food, so many hunting scenes and animals are depicted in a very realistic manner. However, other parts, such as people, are not realistic at all, suggesting that these paintings also served symbolic and religious purposes. Either way, the presence of this art work represents the important development of abstract thinking within human society. Information from: http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/paleolithic.htm
We will be completing three projects in for the Pre-historic Stone Age, the time period that is considered to be the beginning of mankind and consequently contains what are known to be the world's earliest pieces of artwork, cave paintings, such as the ones seen above which are located in the Lascaux Caves in southwestern France. These paintings date back about 40,000 years ago, during a time known as the Late Upper Paleolithic Era, characterized by humans' development of weaponry and tools, specifically ones needed to create this artwork. The paint used in cave paintings were made of minerals, ochres (natural pigments), burnt bone, and charcoal that had been mixed with water, blood, animal fats, and tree saps. The subjects of these paintings are focused on daily life in that time, which was hunting and gathering food, so many hunting scenes and animals are depicted in a very realistic manner. However, other parts, such as people, are not realistic at all, suggesting that these paintings also served symbolic and religious purposes. Either way, the presence of this art work represents the important development of abstract thinking within human society. Information from: http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/paleolithic.htm
I made this piece by using brushes of differing shades of red and brown to create the background and the actual paintings. I also used a Pattern Overlay to make the "cave wall" look like rock.
Project #2: Mesolithic Stone Age
Lasting from about 10,000 BCE- 8000 BCE, this era is characterized by the disappearance of the Megafaun (wooly mammoths etc.), which was a possible factor in the beginning of settled communities, farming, and the domestication of animals which also occurred in this time period. In addition to this, there was the invention of the bow and arrow, which became common in artworks, as well as pottery for food storage, which also begins to be used as a canvas. In addition to these pottery paintings, cave paintings were still created, but historians have noticed a shift of location from inside the caves to outside on cliff-sides or walls of natural rock. Characteristically, Mesolithic paintings changed a bit from their predecessors because there were less animals depicted, and more unrealistic humanlike figures, shown participating in hunting or religious rituals, which again suggest that the artwork holds symbolic meaning.
Information from: http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/mesolithic.htm
Lasting from about 10,000 BCE- 8000 BCE, this era is characterized by the disappearance of the Megafaun (wooly mammoths etc.), which was a possible factor in the beginning of settled communities, farming, and the domestication of animals which also occurred in this time period. In addition to this, there was the invention of the bow and arrow, which became common in artworks, as well as pottery for food storage, which also begins to be used as a canvas. In addition to these pottery paintings, cave paintings were still created, but historians have noticed a shift of location from inside the caves to outside on cliff-sides or walls of natural rock. Characteristically, Mesolithic paintings changed a bit from their predecessors because there were less animals depicted, and more unrealistic humanlike figures, shown participating in hunting or religious rituals, which again suggest that the artwork holds symbolic meaning.
Information from: http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/mesolithic.htm
Created this using the Oval Marquee tool, Bevel and Emboss and a shadow to make the 3-Dimmensional bowl. Then I used the Brush tool to create the figurers, saved them as Brush Presets, and then the Brush tool again to put them on the bowl.
Project #3: Stonehenge
Built 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic Era and located in present day Salisbury, England, Stonehenge is a famous piece of what could be argued to be pre-historic sculpture that is known around the world today. The largest stones are up to 30 feet tall and 25 tons in weight. It is still a mystery to historians how they were moved and arranged, partly because some of the stones have been tracked to Marlborough Downs, which is 20 miles away, and others are said to be from Preseli Hills, located in western Wales, 156 miles away. However, a theory has been constructed that shifting glaciers were the powerful force behind the movement of these massive rocks to their location. Still, pre-historic peoples arranged for a certain purpose. The exact significance of this great landmark is not completely known but evidence suggests that it was a religious location and a burial site for ancient peoples.
Information from : http://www.livescience.com/22427-stonehenge-facts.html
Built 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic Era and located in present day Salisbury, England, Stonehenge is a famous piece of what could be argued to be pre-historic sculpture that is known around the world today. The largest stones are up to 30 feet tall and 25 tons in weight. It is still a mystery to historians how they were moved and arranged, partly because some of the stones have been tracked to Marlborough Downs, which is 20 miles away, and others are said to be from Preseli Hills, located in western Wales, 156 miles away. However, a theory has been constructed that shifting glaciers were the powerful force behind the movement of these massive rocks to their location. Still, pre-historic peoples arranged for a certain purpose. The exact significance of this great landmark is not completely known but evidence suggests that it was a religious location and a burial site for ancient peoples.
Information from : http://www.livescience.com/22427-stonehenge-facts.html
This is my adaption of the a similar design to Stonehenge. I created by using the Rectangular Marquee tool. Once I created the triangles, I filled them with varying shades of gray according to the light, and then used Skew (Transform) to arrange them to look like 3-D objects. Then I applied Bevel and Emboss and made shadows to add to the 3D effect. Then I created the background using the Rectangular Marquee Tool, the Brush Tool, and the Gradient Overlay Layer Style.